According to Dominican Today, the IDB approved a US$750,000 donation to support the development of the biofuels industry in the Dominican Republic, Haiti and El Salvador. Feasibility studies will be carried out by Brazil’s Getulio Vargas Foundation (FGV) within the framework laid out by the US-Brazil Initiative for Biofuels in Central America and the Caribbean.
The article states that FGV has established a successful methodology that has been applied throughout Brazil. It notes as well as that the United States and Brazil are the largest produces and consumers of ethanol in the world.
Stateside, there has been resistance to importing ethanol from other countries, though sugar cane (as opposed to corn based) ethanol is more efficient. Concerning Haiti, the real value of ethanol is not in exportation, but in meeting its own internal energy needs and creating jobs at the same time. Haiti has been subjected to roller coastal fuel prices over the past several years, constraining the economy and limiting people's movement. Preserving the environment must be profitable for its people.
Brazil has been one of, if not the leader, in the development of biofuels. GVF's technical, financial, and commerical experts will work with all three beneficiary countries. With support from the international community, we hope that biofuels will become a viable alternative for Haiti.
Bryan
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